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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25142854">The Bakers Request</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazmatqueen/pseuds/Hazmatqueen'>Hazmatqueen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Baking, Fluff, Friendship, Heartache, Humor, Light-Hearted, Multi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:26:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,923</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25142854</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazmatqueen/pseuds/Hazmatqueen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>3 months after episode 39, Poppy is helping Quincey promote his new book with a cookbook that includes recipes of dishes mentioned in his previous novels, and the novel that he is currently working on for Mr. Lam. </p><p>Quincey has insisted that before the cookbook is published they try all of the recipes and pair each one with a wine or cocktail. </p><p>Too much wine is had and shenanigans happen. </p><p>**please be kind, this is my very first fan fiction ever!**</p><p>****all of these characters belong to Lilydusk.****</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Quincey Balthuman/Poppy Wilkes, Quincey Balthuman/Tora, Tora/Poppy Wilkes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>110</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>165</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Quincey's kitchen really is being remodeled. He decided he didn't like the floors... or the cabinets.... or the counter tops.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Poppy turned up the volume on her computer, Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy had just come on. This song spoke to her mood… It had spoken to her mood for the last 3 months. No matter how hard she tried she could not stop thinking about him, their kiss, and their last meeting at Regina’s Peak. She reached into her left pocket and clutched the ring and bracelet inside, she didn’t want to wear them, Jacob and Erdene would ask too many questions, but she wanted it close, she carried them with her, always. </p><p>When she had finally figured out who Q. B. Noyouko was, she had been so hopeful that she would see Tora again. But this wasn’t the case. Whenever he had come into the office, he was with a short man with reddish brown hair. His name was Gyu, he was very kind but she couldn't help but be a little disappointed every time he showed up with Quincey instead of Tora. </p><p>It had not taken long for Quincey to agree to work with Giant Goldfish once he remembered who Poppy was. Quincey was fascinated by the project that Mr. Lam had asked him to work on. His wife had wanted a romance novel surrounding a quiet bakery in the countryside where the young baker was struggling to keep her shop afloat when a young CEO of a large company comes to town. He is looking to move to the village to finally find some peace and quiet after a bad break up but finds true love instead. The one request that Mr. Lam had, outside what his wife wanted, was that it be called ‘The Bakers Request’. </p><p>In order to promote the new book Poppy had thought of the idea to create a cookbook with the different kinds of food Quincey had mentioned in his previous books, along with some of the foods from the new novel. He instantly loved the idea and set to work picking out the dishes he wanted to feature. He also insisted that they try out every dish in the cookbook to make sure they were good enough to share with his readers. Quincey had also insisted that they pair a wine or cocktail with every item in the book, so naturally by the time the evening was over, they both had a slight buzz. They had become fast friends throughout the testing process and they were both very excited for tonight's recipes. It was dessert night. </p><p>They normally cooked at Quincey’s place but tonight was different though,he was coming over to Poppy’s place. He had made up some excuse saying that his kitchen was under renovation, but she had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with Tora needing to stay at his place for a while. </p><p>She had given Quincey the passcode to her gate so she was not surprised when a knock came to her door. She walked over to her door, unlocked it, and welcomed him with a warm smile. “Hey Q! Thanks for coming over,” She moved aside to let him in, continuing, “It’s not much but it’s home.” </p><p>He met her with an equally warm smile and stepped into her apartment. “I absolutely love it, its so cozy in here.” Her place was warm and inviting and he loved her wall decal that said “why be moody when you can shake your booty.” Speaking of, he noticed the song that was playing and said, “oh honey, we can't have this music setting our mood for tonight. Let's put on something that is a little more upbeat. Something we can shake our booties to.” He winked at her and made his way in the direction of where the music was coming from. </p><p>He logged out of her Spotify account and logged into his. He selected his “Songs to Annoy Tora” Playlist. It was full of upbeat happy songs that drove his moody bodyguard up a wall. Katie Perry’s “Roar” came on, instantly elevating his already good mood, this song especially struck a nerve with Tora. “Alright Poppy, what is on the menu tonight?” He noticed that she had all of the ingredients laid out in little bowls separated into 3 different places on her counter. One space for each of the dishes they would be making tonight. When his kitchen renovations were done he would try the same thing next time he made something for a guest.  </p><p>He also noticed a bottle of wine next to each. Lord save them, they normally only made one recipe when they met up, and only had one bottle of wine, but with the deadline for the cookbook coming up fast they needed to test more than one dessert at a time. It was a good thing Tora had agreed to drive him over there, and agreed to wait in the car. Quincey knew it was only because every time he would see Poppy she would make “Quincy” a tiger rice ball bento box. Each time Poppy would leave his apartment, Tora would come over and grab the bento box, mutter something about home cooked meals and leave. It was rather rude actually, Quincey had been dying to try one of Poppy’s rice balls ever since Tora had sent him the picture of the first one. Out of fear of Tora beating him up and taking his pants again he kept his mouth shut.</p><p>She saw him eyeing how she had put everything out already. With her kitchen being so small she needed to optimize time and space so she had prepped the ingredients beforehand. “Alright, first I thought we would start with a classic, Chocolate Chip Cookies. It’s my Gran’s recipe, and one of my all time favorites. We will be pairing it with a rich Cabernet from Southern California. This one was aged in French oak barrels, and has hints of vanilla.” She gestured to the first set of ingredients closest to the door of her kitchen. </p><p>She moved down the line, “Next we will be making a classic two teared Chocolate Cake. This one ought to be close to the one that is in the book/movie “Matilda”, you know the one that Ms. Trunchable makes that poor kid eat as punishment? I am not sure why but it always looked like the best cake ever to me.” It amazed Quincy how she was able to recall something from a children's book. They were featuring a chocolate cake in ‘The Bakers Request’, but he had not known that it would trigger this specific memory for her. </p><p>“What is the wine we will be pairing with it?” He asked. He had found her wine bottle opener and 2 stemless wine glasses and began to open the first bottle. </p><p>“We will be having a Port wine, from Portugal, I guess that is where the original Port came from. They are supposed to have hints of cinnamon that apparently go really well with things that have high cacao percentages.” She explained, shrugging her small shoulders. Poppy took the glass of Cabernet Quincey had just poured for her, she swirled it, sniffing it gently and took a sip. </p><p>She took another sip of wine and continued, “Finally we will be making a Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake. I thought that we could also feature this in the new book seeing how it takes place in the fall and apples are abundant that time of year in Narin. We will pair this one with a Pinot Noir. This one is one of my favorites, it is very smooth and has subtle hints of straw…” she stumbled over the words. Quincey eyed her, recognizing the flash of heartache that danced over her features. The emotion was there one second and gone the next. Poppy cleared her throat, “Subtel hits of strawberries, that I bet will taste amazing with the apple.” </p><p>She couldn’t believe she slipped up like that. She had been doing such a good job not letting on that Tora’s absence was slowly eating her alive. She downed her glass of wine. Setting it on the counter. She walked over to her fridge, on the wall next to it, she had hung aprons for them to wear for their activity tonight. She also had gotten a chef’s hat… she wanted to see if she could get Quincy to wear it, but with his sense in style, he would need 2 more glasses of wine before he would agree to that. </p><p>Poppy handed him the apron she had picked out for him, it was black with a picture of a whisk on it and the saying “Whip it, Whip it good.” Quincy laughed when he saw it, it was so like her to have an apron like this. She slipped her own apron on, it was blue with white polka dots and had fake pearls strung across the neck line. It was girly and over the top but she thought she could channel her inner Julia Child while working on this project with Quincy. “Top me off Quincey,” She nodded to her empty glass as she secured the apron around her waist, “we have some baking to do.” She was determined to have a fun night baking. She wouldn’t let heartbreak get to her. </p><p>He grinned, downing his own glass of wine. Tonight was going to be undoubtedly entertaining to say the least, and Tora would probably kill him for it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The wine is sinking in. Tora is becoming more involved. </p><p>Soggy bottoms and chocolate disadter to follow. (Any Great British Bake Off fans out there? You will get what I mean by soggy bottoms.)</p><p>**I personally add cinnamon and nutmeg to my chocolate chip cookies. But I cant tell you how much... it really is a family secret.**</p><p>I am sorry it is so short. It has been a long day. But I really hope you all enjoy it.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tora sat in his car watching. His eyes were fixed on Poppy’s balcony. He was thinking back to the night she had made him his first tiger rice ball. Being with her made life seem so simple, so easy. He missed that feeling, even though he had only known it with her a few weeks at the time. She felt like home to him, while he wouldn’t go inside or even let her know he was there, it felt good to be this close. He had made Quincey promise that he would not let her know that he was there. It would be a mess if he saw her, he couldn’t let her go a second time. </p><p>His phone dinged. It was a text message with a video attachment from Quincey. Tora tapped on the notification and let the video play. There she was, in a fucking adorable apron, her hair braided away from her face. She was holding a wooden spoon and singing “Fat Bottom Girls” by Queen at the top of her lungs. </p><p>****</p><p>Back up in the apartment Poppy she was on to her third glass of the Cabernet, the batch of cookies just coming out of the oven. She was singing along to the music and Quincey couldn't keep from laughing and singing along with her. She was the whole reason this song was on this playlist. Tora had actually used to like the song but as soon as he distanced himself from her, he clenched his jaw and became insufferably moody every time it came on. Quincy pulled out his phone and began to take a video, he took a sip of his wine. “Poppy, do a dance for the camera!” She obliged. She spun around so her back was to him and then looked over her shoulder holding the spoon like a microphone and shook her hips, “I've been singing with my band. Across the wire, across the land I’ve seen every blue eyed floozy on the way, hey.” Quincey began to giggle uncontrollably, he stopped recording and sent the video to Tora. Poppy, his sweet, innocent, charming friend had no idea the agony she was about to cause his best friend. </p><p>Not more than a minute later Quincey got a response from Tora, “Ya better bring me some of those damn cookies Quincey, or I swear to god I’ll shave your head in your sleep and draw bullseye on it… ya don’t want to know what I’ll be aiming at that bullseye either!”<br/>
***</p><p>*Flashes to Tora holding a slingshot cradling an egg, aiming towards Quincey freshly shaved, gleaming head* Tora smirks to himself at the thought. Simultaneously Quincey got a shiver up his spine and knew Tora ment business.</p><p>***</p><p>“Alright, we better try these cookies with this wine before it's gone,” Poppy said and she picked up the empty bottle. Shoot, how did they go through a bottle so quickly? She thought to herself. “You are right”, Quincey said, picking one of the cookies up off of the baking sheet. They were still warm, he broke it in half and handed her one side. They were the most delicious chocolate chip cookies he had ever had, and paired with the wine… they were to die for. “Poppy, honey, what did you put in these? If magic was real, it would live inside these cookies.” </p><p>They each finished off their glasses of wine, Poppy gave him a half hearted shrug “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Then she giggled and stated “Kidding!!! I add a little bit of cinnamon and the tiniest amount of nutmeg. It adds a great flavor to the cookie. Those ingredients will be left out of the official recipe though, it's a family secret how much actually goes into the cookies.” Quincy looked at his sweet friend, it was no wonder Tora had taken such a liking to her, she could be scary as hell if she wanted to be. She could hold her own if she needed to.</p><p>“Which dessert should we try next?” Poppy asked Quincey as he contemplated, if Poppy had received the same amount of martial arts training as tora did, which one of them would win in a fight. His money was on Poppy, with them hips of hers she could easily knock Tora off balance with a good hip check and a good over the shoulder toss. He giggled to himself at the hypothetical look on Tora’s face. “Well we already had some chocolate, why dont we make the caramel apple upside down cake.” Her face lit up at the suggestion, “That is exactly why I was thinking.” </p><p>Despite the alcohol she had managed to keep her kitchen clean after baking the cookies so it was easy to move on from one dessert to the next. She began to read the recipes instructions. “First we need to put the apple slices at the bottom of the pan”, she said, turning to Quincey. He was busy opening the Pinot Noir. “Splendid, how long does it take for the cake to bake? I am getting hungry for real food, should we order something? I can have T…” Crap he had almost let it slip that Tora was down stairs. “Take out delivered. If you would like” </p><p>Thankfully Poppy didn’t notice the blunder. She had had more to drink than him, and he was pretty sure she was feeling the effects of it by now. “Fudge biscuits, I forgot to slice the apples.” She said more to herself than to Quincey. “Also I prepared us some bentos before you got here. There are 4 of them in Refrigerator, two for us to eat here and 2 for you to take home later.” Quincey looked up from his phone where he had opened up DoorDash to do a pick up order (he would have Tora pick up instead of paying for a delivery fee). Was this real? Was he finally going to be able to try one of her bentos? “My, My Poppie, you are well prepared, I would love one of your bentos!” </p><p>“They are in the fridge, mine is the one with the bear shaped rice ball and yours is the one with the penguin shaped rice ball. Well, actually, there are 2 with a penguin. The last one is a tiger. I thought you could give that one to whoever is driving you home tonight.” Did she know that Tora had driven him? Damn, she never stops with the surprises… Quincey thought to himself...  No she couldn’t have known. He shrugged it off and pulled their bentos out of the fridge. He loved his penguin. He snapped a picture of it, and sent it to Tora with the message “I finally get one you greedy monster.” </p><p>She picked up one of her kitchen knives to start slicing one of the apples. Quincey snapped a picture of her and sent it to Tora. The alcohol was slowly setting in and he felt it was a good idea to taunt his lifelong friend. This was retribution for various moments in their childhood, especially for when they went to Moonbright and Tora and Goliath had refused to give him his pants back as they hiked in the wooded area. He had absolutely not let that go… even if it had been a decade ago. He got an instant response “The fuck is Poppy doing holding a knife?” He quickly typed back “slicing apples.” </p><p>As an afterthought, he thought he should probably add that Tora shouldn’t worry about that. He wouldn't let her hurt herself. “Don’t worry I am more sober than she is, I won't let anything happen.” But Quincy forgot to hit send on the message. He had underestimated his own level of intoxication. Leaving Tora to his imagination while they talked and ate.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Poppy snatches Quincey’s phone and an angry Tiger shows up.</p><p>**** there have been some minor edits to this chapter since the original post.****</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The timer for the Caramel Apple Upside down cake dinged. Poppy perked up. It had taken an hour to bake and they had almost finished their 2nd bottle of wine. Wait… that wasn’t the timer on the oven. She looked at it through hazy vision. It said 15 minutes. She looked down at her phone. It wasn’t hers, it was Quincey’s. She reached for his phone, he had been texting with someone for most of the night. In her drunken state, she wondered if he had started seeing someone new. He wasn’t paying attention, he was going on about some part in the book. The part of the book with the chocolate cake actually, and every time he talked about it in the office, Poppy had to fight turning beet red. Not tonight though, her inhibitions and shyness gone. </p><p>As soon as she snatched it up, Quincey blinked. “Shit.” He thought to himself. He had been texting with Tora and she couldn't know he was right outside. “Poppylan,” he said in a stern voice, “Give me back my phone right this instant.” </p><p>“Ohhh so you are seeing someone, what is their name?” She stood from her spot at the table. Backing away from him as he mirrored her actions. “Noo, Poppy, I am not. I am just having a private conversation with a friend. Please… give me my ...PHONE” he lunged for her. She spun away from him. Damn it she was fast, she was on the other side of her small kitchen in an instant. </p><p>She tapped on the notification and hit the call button. The phone began to ring, and when she heard someone pick up she didn't give the person on the other line a chance to talk. “Hello, the grumpy penguin you are trying to reach is currently busy. We are making cake. You can have some if you want to, but you have to get to…” the phone slipped out of her hand as Quincey cornered her and grabbed it. </p><p>Quincey put the phone up to his own ear. His face turned pale. “No” Poppy watched as he began giving one word answers to the stranger on the other line. “Yes”. </p><p>“She has had 5 glasses of wine.”<br/>
...<br/>
“She has had a full meal.”<br/>
...<br/>
“No we have not been drinking water.”<br/>
...<br/>
“The cake is in the oven with 3 min left.”<br/>
...<br/>
“No it is the first cake. We have the chocolate cake to make after this.”<br/>
...<br/>
“I understand. Bye.”<br/>
...<br/>
He hung up the phone, stood there in silence for a moment, and sighed deeply. “Poppy, love, I have a surprise for you. It will be here in 30 min. Also, you need to drink some water.” Tora had just berated him for not keeping a closer eye on her while they baked. Tora also insisted that he was going to supervise the rest of their little visit, but not before running out and getting them french fries. “Well,” Quincey thought to himself, “I knew Tora couldn't stay away forever. I am surprised he made it 3 months.”</p><p>“You’re the penguin, you need water.” She said haughtily words slurring. Making her way to the oven when the timer really did ring this time. What was that he had said about a surprise? She wasn’t sure. She put oven mitts on and pulled the cake out. She placed the pan on a cooling rack and said “Ok we will let this cool for 15 min. Quincey, let's start prepping the chocolate cake, but you have to wear the chef's hat. Thats punishment for being mean” She pouted at him, pointing out the hat hanging next to the fridge. </p><p>He gasped looking at her taken aback by her statement “Poppylan, need I remind you, you are the one who took my phone without asking.” But she just looked up at him, with puppy dog eyes and her bottom lip stuck out. God, this woman. He flung his hands into the air, “Fine! I’ll wear the darn hat. Even though my hair is looking fabulous today, thank you very much!” She beamed up at him and teetered over to where it was hanging, grabbed it, teetered back and stood on her tiptoes and roughly shoved it onto his head. “Ow! Poppy, honey, you must be more careful. This head is where all of my good ideas come from.”</p><p>“Like the businessman and the baker getting in a food fight with the chocolate cake… and then things escalate…”She said and she began to giggle, no not giggle, she was laughing uncontrollably. “I never knew cake could be so much fun.” she breathed through her laughter. However, her laughter slowly turned into sobs and she sank to the floor of her kitchen. She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her forehead against them. Quincey crouched down next to his friend, placing his arm around her shoulder. “What's the matter Pops?” Knowing full well what was wrong. “I want someone to love me like that.” Leaning his head against hers he thought “you do have someone.” </p><p>“I know, and you will find that person, but for now we have a cake that is waiting to be eaten and another one to bake.” She lifted her head, and wiped the tears from her eyes. He was right, they had no time for her to wallow in self pity. “Also why did you pick something that takes so long to cook? Couldn't we have taken it out of the oven just a little bit sooner.” He said, standing and helping her to her feet.</p><p>She blinked at him dazedly, and then said very very seriously, “Nobody wants a soggy bottom Quincey.” </p><p>“Pfft, A WHAT?” how could she say something like that with such a straight face? This whole night was getting out of hand. “Alright you little weirdo, lets flip that cake and see if it has a soggy bottom. Also we need to try it with the wine.” She nodded, “Can you flip it? I think I may drop it if I try and do it. Besides I am going to start putting the ingredients together for the cake.”</p><p>She walked over to the next pile of baking ingredients and began to drop each one into her mixing bowl. Quincy roared in success next to her when the upside down cake was successfully flipped and out of the pan. “Ha! Look! I did it!” She grinned, glad he was so happy, and he looked so cute in the chefs hat. She knew it wasn’t a good idea but she took a sip of her wine and then grabbed her hand mixer. When she had a bigger kitchen she would opt for a stand alone mixer, but this would have to do for now. She began to beat the contents of the mixing bowl when she heard a knock come to her door. “Quincey, do you mind getting that? I’m not sure, but it could be my landlady. I hope we are not making too much noise.”</p><p>Quincey winced at the sound, nope, it was not her landlady. And by the short forceful knocks, he could tell Tora would have it out for him later. He acquiesce her request though leaving the kitchen for a moment. When she heard 2 sets of footsteps come back to the kitchen, she looked over her shoulder. There was one very sad penguin, who was no longer wearing a chefs hat, and one very grumpy tiger standing in the doorway, hat gripped in his left hand. </p><p>When the sight finally registered with her shock set in and she pulled the mixer, still spinning at full force, out of the bowl, causing the chocolate cake mix to fly everywhere.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Drunk Poppy has fire, Quincey loves it and Tora won't admit ot but he loves it too. </p><p>Also debating if this should be the end of this or not. Let me know what you think in the comments!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Huge huge huge shout out to MLP Rambling ladies who have beta read my chapters! I appreciate you all more than I can say.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Quincey saw it happen in slow motion as cake batter flew straight for him. He COULD NOT let any of that land on his brand new shirt. He ducked as time sped up again, he was narrowly missed by a giant glob of chocolate. He was smart and stayed down. It was as if seeing Tora had turned Poppy into stone, she didn’t move, didn't even blink as more and more cake batter splattered all over her kitchen, all over her, and all over Tora. </p><p>Tora sprang into action and was in front of her in a second and he unplugged the hand mixer. Still completely stunned she did not move as he took the mixer from her hand. Tora noticed that a small dash of chocolate had landed on her cheek. He reached up and whipped it off with his thumb. Without even realizing it he put the thumb in his mouth and licked it clean. “Are you alright sweetheart. I told this fucker not to let you get too drunk, not that he ever listens to me anyway.” He shot Quincey a look over his shoulder. Oh if looks could kill, Quincey knew he would have already been drawn and quartered and 6 feet under by now. He knew the look promised retribution for this. </p><p>Poppy said nothing. She walked over to where she had left her half full glass of wine and drained it. Toras eyes narrowed at her as she picked up the last bottle and began to open it. “Sweetheart, I don't think.. “</p><p>She cut him off “You don’t get a say in this.” She looked at him dead in the eye. “You are here, that is fine, you get to eat cake and cookies, you get to tell me that the cake and cookies are delicious, then you get to take Mr. Quincey home. You do not get to dictate how much I can continue to drink. It is a Friday night, I am 21 years old, I am not driving anywhere, and it will be my goddamn hangover in the morning and I can deal with that. You are also going to have to wear the chefs hat if you are planning on staying.” </p><p>Fire burned in her eyes like Quincey had never seen, internally he was screaming “YAAASSSS QUEEN!!!” He had never seen anyone stand up to Tora like that. He was so domineering, so alpha that everyone he ran into bent to his will. His eyes flicked to Tora as he noticed his friend's grip tighten on the hat. Toras jaw clenched and he could see the battle Tora was waging with himself. Finally Tora put the hat on. A dark smile spread across Poppy’s face. “Good, now sit down, eat some cookies and tell Quincey that the baker's hands would not stay clean when she is kneading bread. It's almost like he has never been in real life before.” Ohhh, Quincey could get used to seeing interactions like this. And he would be damned if he didn’t get at least one photo of tora with the hat on. </p><p>Poppy’s knees were shaking. Had she really just done that? Had she just stood up to the guy who had broken her heart? She knew it was for her safety but she had shattered when she realized he was really truly gone. She had texted him once a few days after their last meeting thanking him for the present but had never gotten anything back. “Thank god the last bottle of wine left was the port.” She thought to herself. It was 22% alcohol and she was going to need that to make it through the night now that he was here. </p><p>She poured herself a tall glass as she began to prep the cake pan to go into the oven. Tora and Quincey argued over whether or not Quincey could take a picture of Tora. “Fuck no, you cant take a picture of me.”</p><p>“Oh come on, honey. Baker Thug is just the inspiration I need to bring this book from good to great. Besides it will remind me of that little move you pulled earlier. Don’t you dare think I didn’t notice that, it was so steamy, if i wore glasses they would have fogged up.”</p><p>Quincey was right, the move was hot. Poppy had tried with all her might not to look at Toras mouth as he licked the chocolate off of his finger. “Would you like another glass of wine Quincey?” Poppy asked him. She could tell he was slightly intoxicated, but not at her level. She needed someone, anyone to be at her lever. Quincy looked over at her and grinned. “Absolutely, I would love another glass.” </p><p>Tora watched as she walked over to them. There was a slight sway in her steps, and she didn’t look at him when she got to where they were sitting. She looked so damn cute in that apron, and her braids made him crazy. He had not stopped thinking about how good it had felt to have her hands run through his hair when she had braided his. He would give anything to feel that again. With the way she had acted tonight, he knew it would be a long while before that would happen though. He had to admit though, the fire had seen spark in her eyes made him want her even more. He smirked when he remembered the small flicker of it he had seen when he had made her wear a rope around her waist at the top of the mountain. </p><p>“Cookies are great, Bobby.” He knew she loved and hated the pet name he had given her. She straightened. She hadn’t been called that in months, she had not realized she had missed it until he used the name. She looked at him, really looked at him. She was gazing at him. “Im glad you like them.” she said before walking away, back over to the counter where she had left the full round cake pans and her glass of wine. </p><p>He watched as she took another long sip of her win. Pain lanced through him. He had done this, he hated seeing the small flicker of pain when he had called her Bobby. He was determined though now to make it up to her. Now that he was back, he knew he couldn't let her go a second time. Hell, he wouldn't let her go a second time. He watched as she moved the cake pans into the oven and set the timer. She then moved over to the fridge and pulled out a food container, made her way to the drawer next to the oven and she pulled out some chopsticks. </p><p>She walked back over to him and looked him dead in the eye, “This is for you.” She almost whispered it. Tora opened the box and grinned. There was another Tiger beno for him. He loved the nights that Quincey saw her because he always got one of these. He knew she made them for him. </p><p>His smile quickly faded though. </p><p>“I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath<br/>
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess<br/>
So I sat quietly, agreed politely”</p><p>He knew this song. Quincey drunkenly giggled, breaking the intimate moment between the two. Tora glared at his friend. When the chorus came on Quincey and Poppy were singing at the top of their lungs. </p><p>“I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter<br/>
Dancing through the fire”</p><p>Tora hung his head for a moment, and then began to sing with them. </p><p>“Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar<br/>
Louder, louder than a lion<br/>
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!”</p><p>They were 3 sheets to the wind. There was no way in hell either of them would remember it in the morning. Tora would also come up with a way to get rid of that photo Quincey had taken of him. For now though, he would enjoy the moment with his best friend and the women that held his heart.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The final chapter. There is a light, happy ending. <br/>I hope you all enjoy it!</p><p>There is a very drunk Poppy and a slightly annoyed but sweet Tora</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I think I'm pretty bad at summaries... </p><p>This is the final chapter. I like that it has an open-ended ending!</p><p>Sorry, this took so long to get posted, but you guys know... Life!</p><p>Sorry for anyone who was hoping for smut, but I'm not at that level and wouldn't even know where to start writing that.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Poppy sat on her kitchen floor, her small legs stretched out in front of here. She was humming to herself, and from what Tora and Quincy could tell, she had given up on her braids. She was working for her hands through one of them to let it loose. She had stayed somewhat coherent until the chocolate cake came out of the oven, cooled, and then was frosted. But as soon as the task at hand was done, she began to unravel. Chocolate still splattered her kitchen, and while it would bug her normally, she didn't seem to mind it now. “Maybe I’ll do a splatter paint for my next painting project.” She stated to nobody in particular. </p><p>Tora and Quincey looked at each other. How had she gotten this drunk? Quincey was drunk, sure but the second Tora had come to supervise their baking adventures he had begun drinking water. Quincey knew he was in trouble. The second Poppy called Tora and he wanted to be sober enough to explain things on the way home. </p><p>“Hey, Poppy, is the last cake ready to eat, or are we just going to stare at it?” Quincey asked her gently. She turned to him, her eyes glazed over. “We can't have the cake yet, I finished the wine…” her words slurred but were still comprehensible enough. Quincey groaned “It's alright love, we can just try the cake. We do not need wine to enjoy it. Also, why don’t you try drinking some of that water that is sitting next to you?”</p><p>She let her other braid loose and flipped her hair in front of her face. “I already told you, you are the penguin, you need the water.” she looked back over at them, she slightly resembled Cousin It from the Adam’s Family. “Hamsters also need water, Poppy,” Tora said, his voice was stern but not mean. </p><p>“I’m not a hamster! I can take care of…” She trailed off. “Quincey! Do you know what would make tonight even better than it already has been? Facials and sleepover!” Quincey perked up at the suggestion. He looked over at Tora, his golden eyes glowed like fire. There was no way in hell Tora was going to let that happen. Not because Quincey would try anything with Poppy, but because it meant he would have to stay there all night too to babysit them. He wanted to be around poppy more but after being out of her life for 3 months, he knew this was not the way to do it. </p><p>Quincey glanced over at his friend, noting the look in his eyes. “I'm sorry poppy, but I think we will have to save that for another night.” Tora's shoulders relaxed as his friend turned down the offer. Poppy pouted up at them, not sure why they were standing above her. “How’d you guys get so tall?” She wondered out loud. “You guys are too tall, sit with me.” </p><p>“Poppy, you really need to drink some water,” Tora growled. She wasn't making any sense, letting her drink that port wine was a bad idea. Not that he had really had a say, she was right it was her choice to drink that much and she was free to make her own decisions. Even if they were ones he didn't really agree with. “No!” She shouted, hopping up to her full 5 foot nothing height. She swayed on her feet as she tried to find her balance. She gripped the side of the counter, her eyes locking on the chocolate cake. “Poppylan, you need to drink water. I promise you will thank us in the morning if you do.”</p><p>Without a moment's hesitation, poppy dug her hands into the chocolate cake and threw one fist-full at each of her companions. She had told them, no, but they were not listening to her. In her drunken state, it was the only logical way to get them to listen to her. Quincey stepped aside and Tora ducked as the chocolate cake came straight for them. Both moved away in time the cake splattering against the walls and cabinets in the small kitchen, only adding to the mess from earlier. </p><p>Tora and Quincey locked eyes, it was time to end this. They were having fun but one of them was very drunk, in desperate need of water, possibly more food, and then needing to go to bed. Poppy didn't miss the look the two friends gave each other, she began to back towards the hallway. Chocolate smearing across the kitchen door as she quickly slid it shut. “Run, hide” her instincts yelled at her…. But she was also so sleepy. Damn her body and sleepiness being her reaction to red wine.</p><p>She had barely made it into her living room, and just as she was sliding the door open to her painting area strong hands wrapped around her waist and she didn't fight as she was hoisted over her shoulder. She knew she had lost the fight, that she herself had started. She hung like a ragdoll until she heard Quincey say, “Don't start a food fight unless you know you can win it.” Poppy propped her hands on Toras lower back and lifted her head to look at her friend. As she did so he stuck his chocolate-covered hand into her face, leaving a handprint there.”This isn't over, until next time.” Poppy said slurring her words and grinning at him as Tora carried her to the bathroom to help her get ready for bed. </p><p>***</p><p>Tora brushed his lips against Poppy’s forehead as he laid her down in her bed. He had gotten her cleaned up and managed to get her to drink 3 cups of water. But that wasn’t without argument and an escape attempt. Quincey and Tora had to corner her in the kitchen and then listen to some song about a woman named Ophelia 4 times. She had finally tired herself out.</p><p>“It was good to see you relax enough to sing along with us tonight, I got a video and everything,” Quincey said from behind Tora. Tora turned around and saw the smug look on Quincey's face. Holding his phone in his hand, Quincey unlocked it and began to watch the video. One second it was in his hand and the next it was gone. Tora snatched it and got rid of any evidence of the singing or him wearing the chef's hat. He found a candid picture of Poppy and him as she handed him the bento box. That one he sent to himself and then deleted it. “Give it back!!!” Quincey whined as he attempted to get the phone back. </p><p>“Now ya got no proof,” Tora said, handing the phone back to him. Tora made his way back to the kitchen, wanting to fill a water bottle up for Poppy if she needed it. Quincey followed closely behind him. They both paused at the kitchen entry and stared at it in awe. It was a mess… They both looked around, Tora looked up “How the hell did cake end up on the ceiling?”</p><p>***</p><p>Poppy woke up the next morning. Her head was pounding. She sat up gingerly and groaned. “What the hell happened last night?” She thought to herself. She rubbed her face and turned to look at her room, fully expecting it to be an absolute disaster, but it was clean. She looked around and on the pillow next to the one she had been using there was a folded paper airplane. She picked it up and unfolded it. </p><p>There was a note inside: Morin’ Sweetheart. Quincey and I cleaned up your apartment. But you owe me big time. Meet me at Alice’s tonight at 8, we have lots to talk about. I missed you, Bobby. - Tora. P.S You and Quincey are never allowed to make more than one dessert at a time again. Especially if wine is involved.</p><p>So she wasn’t dreaming, he had really been there. She smiled as she held the note to her chest. Her thoughts drifted to the moment he had tucked her in bed and gently kissed her forehead. And for just a moment, she forgot all about her hangover.</p>
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